Israeli Government Repeals 2005 Act Banning Settlers from Abandoned West Bank Areas

Israeli lawmakers have repealed a 2005 act that led to the dismantling of four Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip. This latest move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government promotes settlement expansion in the territory and presents another setback to Palestinian aspirations for statehood. The international community considers most settlements illegal and opposes construction on occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state. Israel’s closest ally, the United States, has rebuked the move, with the State Department saying it is “extremely troubled” and urged Israel to refrain from allowing settlers to return to the outposts.

The 2005 Legislation

The 2005 legislation involved the dismantling of four settlements and a unilateral pullout of Israeli forces from Gaza, with the prime minister at the time, Ariel Sharon, arguing that Israel could not keep the settlements under a future agreement with the Palestinians. Israeli citizens were officially banned from returning to those locations, although the military allowed activists to visit and pray there, and this ban has now been revoked.

Current Situation

Since 1967, Israel has captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip territories, and more than 700,000 Israelis have moved into dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which most of the world considers an obstacle to peace. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government has put settlement expansion at the top of its agenda and has already advanced thousands of new settlement housing units and retroactively authorized nine wildcat outposts in the West Bank. Netanyahu’s allies claim the courts have too much power in the legislative process, and the Supreme Court is biased against settlers, and critics say the overhaul would upend the country’s delicate system of checks and balances and push Israel towards authoritarianism.

International Reaction

The move drew sharp criticism from Israel’s closest ally, the United States, with the State Department urging Israel to refrain from allowing settlers to return to the outposts. Most of the international community considers settlements illegal and opposes construction on occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state. France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have also joined mounting criticism of Bezalel Smotrich’s recent remarks denying the existence of the Palestinian people.